I wanna show that gospel, country, blues, rhythm and blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll are all just really one thing. Those are the American music and that is the American culture.

He wrote that James had her first hit single when Etta James was 15 years of age and went steady with B. It was not until the early 1990s when James began receiving major industry awards from the Grammys and the Blues Foundation that Etta James began to receive wide recognition. The funeral presided by Reverend Al Sharpton took place in Gardena California eight days after her death.

Rolling Stone ranked James number 22 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and number 62 on the list of the 100 Greatest Artists. James is regarded as having bridged the gap between rhythm and blues and rock and roll and is the winner of six Grammys and 17 Blues Music Awards. Etta James (born Jamesetta Hawkins; January 25 1938 – January 20 2012) was an American singer.